Singer Jenni Rivera celebrated at memorial

The life of Jenni Rivera was celebrated Wednesday in song, as passionate fans chanted "Jen-ni! Jen-ni!" at the singer's memorial service billed as a "celestial graduation" by her family.

Olga Tanon and Rivera's children were among those performing at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, where thousands of fans gathered to salute the "Diva de la Banda."

Celebrity guests included, famed Mexican singers Marco Antonio Solis, Ana Gabriel and Joan Sebastian.

A red casket sat onstage amid a sea of white roses, as images of Rivera played on a big screen.

Many fans had bought advance tickets to the service for $1. Hundreds of others converged outside the venue, hoping to gain access.

The service was closed to most media, although a broadcast of the proceedings was made available.

The burial will be private.

Rivera and six other people died Dec. 9 in a northern Mexico plane crash that remained under investigation. Rivera, the mother of five children and grandmother of two, was 43.

Rivera sold more than 15 million copies of her 12 major-label albums. Her soulful singing style and honesty about her tumultuous personal life won her fans on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. She was also an actress and reality TV star.